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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · game · drill · rush · dip · cell · tube · charge

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. charge — electricity
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. drill — army training
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cell — a phone
  10. game — a match
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. charge — in control
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bass — the fish
  20. tube — a container
  21. game — wild animals
  22. dip — to sink
  23. rush — hurry
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com